Verse of the Year

When God put it on my heart to start this blog 4 years ago, I never dreamed of how often I would struggle to find time to sit down and write it.  At the time, my mind and heart were full of things to share and posting once a week hardly felt sufficient.  I try to never be on my computer while my kids are awake so as their sleep needs have changed over time, my windows to blog have as well.  And yet, I still find myself desiring to be here in this space with you.  I am extremely grateful for the platform to share about our lives with you, and more importantly, the ways we are experiencing God.  So, instead of fighting for time to sit down and write, I have begun to pray that God would give me the time to be here with you.  God is personal and I believe He cares about the small things in our lives, like blog writing.     Today He answered my prayer for time to write through slumbering children and quick food prep.   Let's dive in, while we still have some time!

A few months ago while the kids and I were listening to Seeds Family Worship together, there was a song that instantly started resonating in my heart.  The song was based on the verse found in Matthew 6:34 which says, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own."  Later on that night, I found myself alone in the kitchen, with our family calendar in hand.  My mind instantly started picking up speed as I was planning out the intricacies of the rest of our week.  I was hung up on a few unknown details and suddenly, the lyrics to that song blew through those concerns, reminding me to not fret about the things that hadn't happened yet.

I wouldn't describe myself as a worrier, I would describe myself as someone who anticipates what's next.  And yet, my anticipating regularly puts unnecessary strain on my mind.  My thoughts speed through my mind as I mentally navigate various outcomes.  I rewind and replay and fast forward all with the goal of fitting things together like a game of tetris. 

While this act of anticipating what's ahead does serve me and my family well, often, I am relying on my own strength, capacity and knowledge of whats to come rather than tapping into Gods unlimited strength, perfect sufficiency and full knowledge of the future.

For days I was humming, "do not worry about tomorrow. . . " to myself and asking the question what if I really didn't worry?  What if I actively chose to not worry about the trips Shawns going to take this year? What if I didn't worry about how to navigate the extreme summer heat with my kids? What if I didn't worry about finding time for the things I need to do? What if I just let today be today and trust God to make my path clear for tomorrow?

The more I thought about the ramifications of taking things one day at a time, the more I knew that I was being called to put Matthew 6:34 on the forefront of this year.

Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, 

for tomorrow will worry about itself.  

Each day has enough trouble of its own.  

I want to be someone who trusts God in the big and small things.  So for this year, while I plan and anticipate our food, activities, friendships and family life, instead of being weighed down by my own concerns or the potential problems that lay ahead, I am surrendering them.  I am asking God to help me keep my eyes on what He has put before me today and to go before me to prepare the way for tomorrow.  Often, that means I have to name worry and ask God to replace it with peace.  Sometimes that means seeking Him to help me be better equipped or more prepared.  But in all scenarios, it means that I am no longer trying to do things in my own strength, or with my own limited resources and understanding.  Instead, I am looking to the One who is All Powerful and is able to supply all of my needs in Christ Jesus.  

Do you have a verse for the year?
With love,
Erica